Long lasting batteries

[exnavyman123]

Can anyone suggest what batteries are the longest lasting batteries without spending a fortune please?

Thank You .............

 

[marcortez]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Engine starting batteries or electonic device batteries?

I have had good luck using Interstate brand marine batteries but your mileage will vary.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Batteries with the highest amp hour (AHr) rating have the most energy in them. Doesn't matter who makes them as far as run-time is concerned. Quality of the battery determines how long it will continue to perform which has nothing to do with how much power it has. A cheap battery with a 100 AHr rating performs just as well as a 100 AHr battery that costs a bundle. The more expensive battery may last several years longer than the cheaper one but then you can usually buy a new cheaper battery every three years vs one expensive and be money ahead. Besides, you will likely sell the boat before you wear out either one of them.

 

[turbinedoctor]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Isn't this thread basically the same as http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=391284

I don't mind giving my time to read and reply to the threads in this forum but it kinda bothers me to see two threads from the same person asking the same thing.

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: Long lasting batteries

ok thanks for the info, i do want do get a larger thrust trolling motor like a 50 or 70, i had the sea nymph out today and the 28lb thrust did ok, but i really need a larger one, do you need a larger (24V) batteries for them? I love both of my boats btw, never getting rid of them .....

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Long lasting batteries

ok thanks for the info, i do want do get a larger thrust trolling motor like a 50 or 70, i had the sea nymph out today and the 28lb thrust did ok, but i really need a larger one, do you need a larger (24V) batteries for them? I love both of my boats btw, never getting rid of them .....

If you buy a 24v trolling motor then you need two 12v batteries wired in series.It's important to know the difference between series and parallel so read the manual carefully when you buy.

For a basic runabout with nav lights and a fish finder you only need a good starting battery. Personally I use a group 29 marine battery with 1000MCA and 115 minutes of reserve capacity.

If you run a trolling motor then you need a seperate deep cylce battery (or two) to power it. Then you are getting into installing a battery switch and or automatic charging relay to keep everything charged up.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Long lasting batteries

I gave an answer to this same question in another thread. That thread has apparently been deleted. I don't understand why the previous discussion was deleted.

In the previous discussion I suggested that battery service life is proportional to quality of the battery manufacture, which is proportional to the purchase initial cost. I still believe this to be true. In this new discussion there is an implication that battery service life will not be proportional to initial cost. I do not think that is true.

The notion that a battery sold with a one-year warranty will somehow have a longer service life than one sold with a ten-year warranty is hard to sustain. If you want a battery that will have a longer service life, you will have to pay more for it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Quote: In this new discussion there is an implication that battery service life will not be proportional to initial cost. I do not think that is true.

And just where in this thread did you draw that conclusion?

 

[jhebert]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Quoting Silvertip:

"Quote: ["]In this new discussion there is an implication that battery service life will not be proportional to initial cost. I do not think that is true.["]

"And just where in this thread did you draw that conclusion?"

--

I drew the inference from the first sentence of the initial article in this thread. The phrase "without spending a fortune" implies "without spending more than for another battery that does not last as long."

Generally with batteries you get what you pay for. If you want a battery with a one-year warranty, shop at WALMART and get a $50 battery than may last one year. If you want a battery that will last longer, shop at SEARS and get their $240 battery with a longer warranty that will last three or four years. If you need a battery that has a warranty and an expected service life of more than four years, you have to pay more--sometimes a lot more.

To think that there is some secret battery being sold which lasts much longer than other batteries but costs no more is not realistic. If there were such a battery, everyone would soon know about it, everyone would buy it, and the other battery makers would be out of business.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Long lasting batteries

You are "reaching" a bit. Wise people on the planet generally know things of identical size, quality, durability and any other redeeming quality are sold everyday for widly varying prices. That's why these "wise" people "shop" for the best price on identical articles. Yes - you can pay a fortune for a battery that doesn't last as long as a cheaper one. There are simply some people who don't shop wisely and therefore overspend. This is what the poster is saying. Just because you payed a "fortune" for something does not automatically mean it lasts longer or delivers more. Paying a "fortune" is a very relative term. I recently visited my local farm store where you could by a $160 AGM battery that would very likely outlast a flooded deep cycle that had more capacity, better warranty, and cost $76. So tell us -- where is the advantage in "spending a fortune". Two flooded vs one AGM. No brainer in my book.

 

[John_S]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Quoting Silvertip:

Generally with batteries you get what you pay for. If you want a battery with a one-year warranty, shop at WALMART and get a $50 battery than may last one year. If you want a battery that will last longer, shop at SEARS and get their $240 battery with a longer warranty that will last three or four years.

Hey, don't make fun of my Walmart batteries! I have had a group 29 Marine EverStart maxx for two years of decent use with no problems. 18 month free replacement. My 28hp diesel tractor battery just quit over the weekend. That maxx is now land-locked. Picked up a new one on Sunday afternoon, for the boat.

So far, I have had better luck with the Walmart than Exide Nautilus Gold.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Long lasting batteries

Repeating myself, the best indicator of anticipated battery service life is the length of the manufacturer's warranty coverage.

To no one's surprise, better quality batteries last longer, have longer warranties, and cost more.

Exactly where on the cost-value curve a particular boater wants to jump in and buy a battery is impossible to predict.

The service life obtained from a particular battery is a result of the combination of many circumstances: the care the battery was given, the charge and discharge cycles the battery was given, the quality of the battery's original manufacture, and the environment in which it was used.

It is always possible that poorly informed consumers may pay too much for a product of inferior quality.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Long lasting batteries

In my farm store example, the $160 AGM battery had a 30 month warranty. The $76 flooded battery had a 36 month warranty. Larger capacity as well. So where is the advantage? Warranty coverage is definitely NOT a measure of quality.